On Saturday, Jason Marquis will face Roy Oswalt in the second of the Cubs' three-game series against the Houston Astros. And unless Piniella calls someone late Friday night, Alfonso Soriano will be leading off.

Soriano batted second in the first two games of the season, but a few hours after saying he wasn't going to change the order, Piniella flip-flopped Soriano and Ryan Theriot.

"You talk to Soriano, and his feelings are certainly more important than mine," Piniella said. "I think he feels more comfortable [leading off], yes."

It isn't that complicated to understand what Piniella is trying to do. He doesn't want to bunch up all the right-handed hitters, which is why Kosuke Fukudome was such a valuable addition.

"We try to put lineups together that make the other manager make pitching moves so you can always counter," Piniella said. "And you put lineups together that you have pinch-hitters on the bench who can counter the moves. That's basically it. There's no big mystery to it.

"I think if everybody in this room had their choice of eight people to put in the lineup, I guarantee you'd have 60 percent of one lineup prevalent, and you'd have variations off that," he said. "It's not as hard as doing the crossword puzzle of the New York Times, I can tell you that."

Piniella said he has never had this many questions about his lineup.

"I think you all fantasize about lineups at night," he said. "It's the [darndest] thing I've ever seen."

What's also bothering Piniella is sloppy play. Expect to see players taking some extra grounders.

"We've had two games where the shaky defense has hurt us," Piniella said. "It's cold out there -- I'm not making excuses. We'll get better, that's all I can say."

Pitching matchup
CHC: RHP Jason Marquis (12-9, 4.60 ERA in 2007)
Marquis battled all spring for this spot, competing with Ryan Dempster and Jon Lieber. Marquis worked with someone this offseason on the mental part of the game in hopes of having a good full season, not a half season. The right-hander was 12-0 in 17 starts in which he went at least six innings. He's got to go deep. Marquis is 8-5 with a 5.12 ERA in 23 games against Houston and was 1-1 with a 6.10 ERA in four starts last season.

HOU: RHP Roy Oswalt (0-1, 5.06 ERA)
Oswalt lost his Opening Day start to reigning Cy Young winner Jake Peavy, who shut out the Astros through seven innings. Oswalt said he had no feel for his breaking pitches, which forced him to use his fastball 85 percent of the time. As a result, hitters were fouling off multiple pitches, causing Oswalt's pitch count to skyrocket. It was his sixth Opening Day start. He has a career 5-4 record and 5.28 ERA at Wrigley Field.

Tidbits
Soriano played one inning at second base on Friday because the Cubs were short-handed. Mike Fontenot's back tightened up on him and he was not available. It's the first time Soriano played second since the 10th inning last May 6, against Washington. Soriano made two putouts, his first there since Oct. 1, 2005. ... Lieber made his season debut in the seventh Friday. It's been 2,072 days since his last game as a Cub, Aug. 1, 2002. ... Expect to see catcher Henry Blanco in a game either this weekend or Monday in the series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates. ... Soriano had two RBIs on Wednesday. Last year, he had only two multi-RBI games without a homer: May 25 and June 25. ... Piniella is going to watch the NCAA Final Four but has no rooting interest. "I've been knocked out of every pool I've picked," he said. ... On May 13, the Cubs will host "Meet the Team, Have a Ball" at Wrigley Field. Fans have the opportunity to walk on the outfield grass and get autographs from the players. Tickets are $300, and the event benefits Cubs designated charities. ... Ryan Acosta, son of late Oscar Acosta, the Cubs former pitching coach, started for Class A Peoria on Thursday and went two innings.

Tickets
 Buy tickets now to catch the game in person.

On the Internet
 MLB.TV
 Gameday Audio
•  Gameday
•  Official game notes

On television
• CSN Chicago

On radio
• WGN 720

Up next
• Sunday: Cubs (Carlos Zambrano, 0-0, 0.00) vs. Astros (Brandon Backe, 0-1, 3.60), 1:20 p.m. CT
• Monday: Cubs (Ted Lilly, 0-1, 7.71) at Pirates (Tom Gorzelanny, 0-1, 4.50), 12:35 p.m. CT
• Tuesday: Off-day